Veronique Pengilley

Ceramics

I was born in Grenoble, France, and my parents are French, born in Morocco.  We lived in the south of France and in the Middle East and my love of pottery reconnects me with my childhood memories of rich warm colours used in every possible way and pottery for
every day life.

My Saggar fired works represents so much the colours of my youth with houses rendered with ochre oxides, rich tapestry and copper of the Middle East. 

My work has also influenced my pottery, been a civil draftsperson for too many years, my works is very precise and balanced.   This is one of the reasons why I love saggar firing as the process is very meticulous and yet I have no control of the result - giving me a balance!

I started ceramics 10 years ago at the Canberra Pottery Society and studied at ANU, Hornsby TAFE and Brookvale.  My work has been published in the Ceramics Australia and has been sold in France and in the US to American art collectors.

My work is generally made of porcelain as I find the material more fine and can achieve stronger brighter colours. The pieces are burnished and covered with a several coats of terra sigillata. 

Then they are nestled into a saggar which contains a nest of combustible materials such as sawdust, wood shavings, grasses, leaves, seaweed, salt-soaked materials, metal oxides, salts, copper wire, and steel wool.

Saggars are then sealed with their lids and stacked fired in a kiln.  During the firing the materials within the saggars ignite and fume leaving unique markings on the works which range from subtle to dramatic. 

Colours range from the distinctive black and white to flashes of gold, pink, orange, red, green and smoky blue.  The pieces are then carefully cleaned of ash and residue and coated with a fine layer of bees wax.  The wax enhances the shine and protects the pieces from dust, moisture and handling.

Saggar fired works are one-of-a-kind pieces of fine art. 

They are not intended for food or as containers for liquids.  As with all works of fine art, saggar pieces should be handled with care and protected from direct sunlight and moisture.

It is best to wax them with beeswax once or twice a year to keep then shinny and sealed.

2009 – Kerrie Lowes Gallery – Group Exhibition
2009 – Warrandyte Potters Market - Vic
2008 – Potters market in Lyon France and Group Exhibition in St Uzes France
2008 – ‘Clay - The cutting Edge’ Craft NSW Gallery - Group Exhibition
2007 – Certificate III - Highest Achiever Award
2007 – Entered Gosford Art Prise and Artist Speech
2007 – Article in the Australian Ceramic Magazine - Issue 46#1
2002 – ‘Best Wheel Thrown’   Canberra Potters’ Society Student Teacher Exhibition.
2000 – ‘Pottery by Novice’  First  Prize - Canberra Time Expo.